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On Saturday, February 23, 2013 Houston's Annual Rodeo Parade and road races kicked off the official start of the 2013 Rodeo. The day began with three races sponsored by Conoco Phillips Rodeo Run - a wheelchair race, a 10k Road race, and a 5K Road Race, with at total of least 15000 participants
The starting point for the races and the annual parade was at Walker and Bagby, a change from previous years required by construction of new Metro Rail facilities downtown. Mayor Parker started in the 5K race at 9:45. She then joined the parade that started at 10:00 on horseback with Council Members Brown, Adams, Cohen, Lester, and Burks. Other mounted officials included Comptroler Green, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, Congressman Al Green, Sheriff Adrian Garcia, and County Judge Ed Emmet.
The parade proceeded east on Walker, south on Travis, west on Bell, north on Louisiana, west on Lamar and concluded on Lamar at Bagby, lasting about an hour, feature floats of stores including Goya, HEB, and Fiesta, dozens of civic organizations, colleges, and local high school marching bans, independent riders, and trailblazers with their antique wagons (some more than 100 years old) who traveled hundreds of miles on horseback to join the Rodeo. Many of the trailblazers come every year for decades as a family tradition.
Following the parade, race participants were invited to an after-party on Alan Parkway, while livestock was transported to Reliant Park to prepare for more events in the Houston Rodeo.
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